The Sodor Haulage Firm Stories
by bbll22
Summary: *CHAPTER 7 NOW UP* These are the stories of the Sodor Haulage Firm who were magnificent and respected by everyone on Sodor in days long ago. Margaret, Logan, Madison and Lawrence started out the firm at four but they soon became five with the addition of Holly, and these are their stories to show that lorries can be just as good as trains! Please review!
1. The Tragedy of the Sodor Haulage Firm

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**The Tragedy of the Sodor Haulage Firm**

It was just getting dark on the Island of Sodor and Duck, the great western engine was just about to relax at the depot shed. He'd had a very long and arduous day and was grateful that a rest was about to happen. Sadly, his moment of relaxation was interrupted by Bill and Ben the quarry twins. They were not in a good mood at all and soon stopped beside Duck.  
"What's the matter?" Duck asked exasperatedly.  
"Whoever we work with…" began Bill.  
"…just doesn't do things the way they should." finished Ben.  
"There's a silly lorry that just won't do as they're told!" Bill then complained.  
"Lorries are no-one's friends!" Ben added. "They don't deserve our respect!"  
"Oh really!" Duck said. "You two need to learn that you respect everyone you work with even if they can be different!"  
"Whether on road or rails, respect is needed all around!" then added a voice. It came from BoCo as he joined the others at the shed.  
"Indeed…" agreed Duck. "I think it's time that you two were told about the most respected lorries to have ever been on Sodor."  
"Who were they?" asked Bill and Ben eagerly.  
"The Sodor Haulage Firm…" smiled Duck as he then began to tell the tale…

"Many, many years ago near Crest Mountain in Misty Valley stood the base and hub of all hauling activity on Sodor. There stood the Sodor Haulage Firm. They were a group of four very distinct lorries that did all the jobs trains simply couldn't get to. Their leader was Margaret. She was an old purple sentinel lorry that reveled in being in control but as the years went on, she mellowed greatly." Duck began grandly.  
"She sounds like Mavis…" murmured Bill.  
"Be quiet…" silenced Duck. "Next…" he then continued. "…was Logan. He was the biggest lorry of the firm and was painted grey all over. He could haul more than any other lorry Sodor has ever seen. He was incredibly cocky though, but the others got used to it."  
"Sounds like you two…" laughed BoCo. Duck laughed too but the twins didn't like fun being made of them. Duck decided to continue on.  
"Then, there was Madison; the other sentinel lorry…" smiled Duck. "She never liked to be bossed about by Margaret but she always did the work well. She loved her maroon paint and hated it to be in any way damaged, but that was never possible working in a haulage firm. She never liked to admit it was a mother-daughter relationship between her and Margaret, but it was most certainly there. Finally, there was Lawrence. He was a blue and grey loading lorry. He was the youngest of the firm and was quite shy really but as time went on; the four of them formed a great team and made the firm ever so popular. It's just a shame that they are no longer around…"  
"Why? What happened to them?" asked the twins.  
"A terrible disaster…" BoCo said as he then took over the storytelling duties…

"The firm's base beside Crest Mountain has always drawn the mist around it and this day, the terrible day was no different at all. Mist rose all around and the firm were just waking up to a very big hauling duty." BoCo began to tell.  
"Looks like the headlights will be needed today then!" Margaret said. The others agreed too as their drivers got them all ready. The Yard Manager soon came to tell them of the duty for the day. He informed them that the rocky road that goes along Crest Mountain has a new base at its peak and here is a new hub of power for the Island. The firm had been selected to take key essentials and other work items to help finish construction work and other jobs at the new site.  
"I think I'll manage on my own everyone!" Logan said cockily. "I can take all of this without even having to try!"  
"I doubt that…" Madison said. "We all know I am the best Logan, you're just cocky. I can prove myself!"  
"Who can haul the most though?" Logan asked with a wide smile as he already knew the answer.  
"Does it matter who's best?" Lawrence then asked.  
"Well said!" cheered Margaret. "It doesn't matter who claims to be best. We are the Sodor Haulage Firm and we are much appreciated here, and by working as a team, we keep our good reputation!"  
"Exactly!" Logan agreed. "But we all know I'm best…" he muttered to himself as the men of the yard loaded him and everyone else up. Soon, they were off and began on the slow trek up Crest Mountain.

The mist got even heavier as the firm began the trip up the rocky road. Their headlights weren't helping much at all in the conditions and the winds were picking up too. Crest Mountain had also been known from time to time over the years for rock slides and Lawrence was most fearful of this.  
"Please don't fall, please don't fall…" he said to the rocks.  
"Don't worry…" said Margaret. "I've been along here many times and not one small tiny stone has dared fall as we go by. We are safe." Lawrence began to feel much better and as they all continued going along, Margaret's wise words helped everyone with any nerves they had. The further up Crest Mountain the firm went though, the thicker the fog got, the stronger the winds got too and rain also began to fall.  
"This is hardly magnificent Sodor is it?" Logan huffed as he could barely see a thing.  
"Seeing the back of you is hardly a magnificent site either…" Madison said as the back lights of Logan's trailer were the only things poking their way through the thickening fog from her view. It was getting harder by the minute to cope along the way and soon trouble occurred. The fog got so thick that Logan, who was leading the firm up Crest Mountain couldn't see a thing. His driver was struggling just aswell and suddenly they went over a fallen rock which jolted Logan right into the side of Crest Mountain itself. Logan slammed into the rocky face with a crash and the rest of the firm struggled to stop in time.  
"Logan!" called out Lawrence and the others but soon their thoughts all turned to something else. Rocks slowly one by one began to fall from above them.  
"Oh my…" Margaret muttered to herself. Her voice was trembling with fear.  
"We'll be ok, won't we?" asked a panicked Madison.  
"Of course…" replied Margaret but she wasn't sure as soon many, many rocks fell on top of them all. Luckily, their drivers had run free before the rocks fell but the firm were well and truly in trouble.

"That's terrible!" Bill then cut in.  
"Horrible even…" Ben added. "What happened next?" Duck just smiled to BoCo as the pair of them could see the story was working its magic.  
"Well then…" said BoCo. "Here's how it finished…"

With the rock slide at an end, men tried frantically to free the firm and after many hours of trying, they found them all. They were battered and bruised and incredibly damaged by the heavy rock fall. Logan's trailer was crushed, Lawrence's loader was smashed and Madison and Margaret felt incredibly squished. It wasn't long before they were urgently taken back to the yard where the men then tried their best to fix them. The days soon passed into weeks and without any work being done, the firm was losing money. The money the manager had was being spent on repairing the treasured team and he simply couldn't let them go. Soon though, it became apparent nothing could be done to save the team and indeed the business as trains and other vehicles had taken their duty. The Sodor Haulage Firm was no more…

"That's awful!" Ben said.  
"Were they scrapped?" Bill then enquired.  
"No…" Duck said simply.  
"Well what happened?" the twins then asked.  
"They're at a scrapyard, somewhere. Maybe here on Sodor, maybe on the Mainland." BoCo answered. "They are all together and are all happy."  
"How can you be happy at a scrapyard?" Bill asked indignantly.  
"Because they're a family unit there. They remember their great days hauling and being respected by everyone - trains and people." Duck replied. "Gathering dust and rusting altogether doesn't bother them obviously."  
"They're not normal…" Ben said.  
"But do you respect them now? Can you respect a lorry?" BoCo asked.  
"Yes…" they eventually replied. "They sound good…"  
"Good!" smiled Duck. The twins looked noticeably calmer now and it was a pleasant contrast to earlier on. Duck and BoCo were very pleased with the stories effect.  
"Please, can you tell us more stories about them?" Bill and Ben then asked eagerly. "We want to know more about them!"  
"Oh of course…" Duck and BoCo smiled. "But they will have to wait until another time…"


	2. As Strong as an Ox

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**As Strong as an Ox**

A long time ago, long before the disaster of Crest Mountain and the money problems proudly stood the Sodor Haulage Firm. Comprised of four Lorries of varying sizes and colours they set out to haul the biggest loads around Sodor and to just generally help out any people who needed help taking things from one place to another. All four of them are great friends and see each other as equals and treat each other with great respect, something that a modern Sodor is lacking a lot.

One day at the site, Madison and Margaret, the Sentinal Lorries wee chatting fondly about the time when Logan thought he was much stronger than he actually was.  
"It always makes me laugh!" said Margaret to Madison who agreed very much so. Then, Lawrence the Loading Lorry arrived at the site after finishing his most recent job.

"Nothing like a good day's worth of loading, eh?" he said jokingly to Margaret and Madison.

"Ofcourse..." agreed Madison, who was being sarcastic, but Lawrence hadn't noticed. Then, Margaret decided to tell Lawrence about the funny tale about Logan because Lawrence hadn't joined the Haulage firm at that point.  
"Lawrence, do you want to hear a story?" she asked.

"Yeah, why not?" he replied.  
"Ok then..." began Margaret. "It all started when me and Madison were a lot younger and we were just settling into our first few days of work here..."  
"Sounds a bit boring..." interrupted Lawrence.  
"Oi!" retorted Margaret. "I've only just got started!" That promptly shut Lawrence up and made him concentrate a lot more.  
"Go on...I'm sorry for interrupting..." apologised Lawrence. Madison chuckled at the apology as Margaret started to continue the story.  
"As I was saying then. We'd just arrived a few days earlier and were enjoying the work we'd been set. However, Logan was very different back then..."  
"How do you mean?" asked Lawrence.  
"He was...cockier..." replied Margaret. "He thought he was the best and that two female lorries were no use at all. Oh we showed him that day that we are useful...he hasn't forgotten it since!"  
"What happened?" asked Lawrence who was becoming impatient, but Margaret didn't continue as Logan just pulled into the yard.  
"How are my two favourite female lorries doing then?" he asked very cheekily.  
"Fine" they both replied unison.  
"How's the young Lawrence doing then?" he then asked.  
"Fine." he simply replied. "Well I was until you interrupted Margaret's story..." Margaret and Madison's eyes immediately opened wide as they had promised a long while back that they would never speak of the story again, but Lawrence had just blown their cover.  
"What story? Margaret. Is this the story I'm thinking it is?" asked Logan with intrigue.  
"Sadly it is...I'm sorry..." she replied.

"But it is funny!" added Madison.  
"I agree" said Logan, and with that he shocked everyone. "Go on then continue!" he then added, and Margaret did.

"Well the county fair had come to Sodor and a lot of the Farmer's were eager to use us to transport their animals to the fair grounds as their vehicles weren't upto standard. Madison mainly took sheep, while I took Pigs and occasionally chickens. However, big cocky Logan took the Cattle as he was the strongest and due to this, was as boastful as ever.

'Hey girls...look at who I'm taking to the fair!' he'd often say. We never responded as we didn't want to, and we felt stupid if we did."  
"Oh...I thought you were just admiring me..." interrupted Logan.

"Yeah...ofcourse we were..." replied Madison sarcastically.  
"Right..." said Margaret as she started once more. "On this day in particular, Logan was more cocky than ever before as he was taking Farmer Jones' prized Ox, Winner to the fair. Winner was known to be a feisty Ox who had damaged Cattle trains badly before, but the fact Logan was taking such a prized animal was never good for us!

'Hey, you two! Look here! I've got an Ox, and you know, I'm just as strong as one!'

'Sure...' we'd reply, but when everyone was at the fair, Winner didn't want to get out of Logan's cargo hold. He kept bumping the rear doors and got nowhere. Logan was getting very angry indeed!  
'Oi! Ox...be careful...I'm valuable you know!' but Winner didn't care, he rammed the doors once more and this time, he broke through. The crowds screamed, but Winner didn't attack, he just stopped there and went back to normal."  
"Doesn't sound like he liked you, did he?" jokingly asked Lawrence to Logan.

"The terrain was all wrong..." replied Logan. "It was too bumpy for him obviously, it was nothing to do with me!"  
"Excuses...excuses!" said Madison.

"Margaret..." said Lawrence. "When is the really funny bit coming up?"

"Soon" she replied. "But it looks like we've got work, so I'll tell you in a bit!" Everyone then set off to work and the story suddenly came to a halt.

That evening, the work was done and everyone came back to the yard where Margaret concluded the story from earlier.  
"Well...after Winner broke through Logan's rear doors, they were too damaged and you couldn't take the Cattle back once the fair was done. So, with a bit of last minute alterations, Logan was now able to take the chickens home as a make-shift wooden door had been made to replace the broken ones. He was no longer as strong as an Ox. He was..."  
"As strong as a Chicken!" interrupted Lawrence who immediately burst into laughter, to which Margaret and Madison soon did and eventually even Logan laughed even though everyone was laughing at him.

"You were so embarrassed Logan..." continued Margaret. "It was unbelievable. We could not stop laughing whenever we saw you as all we could hear was the chickens clucking away in there as you progressed along the bumpy roads. Your face said it all!"  
"I was being serious!" interrupted Logan.

"More like embarrassed..." laughed Madison.

"You never could trust Winner again..." said Margaret. "You'd never allow him near you again. What a shame! We'd have loved to have seen it happen again, but oh well! Chicken duty forever for you now!"  
"It wasn't funny!" protested Logan.

"Oh it was!" said Lawrence. "And thankyou for telling me Margaret!"

"No problem..." she replied just as she started to laugh again at the thought of the incident which started everyone off again into fits of laughter which went on well into the night.


	3. Elizabeth's Bad First Impression

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Elizabeth's Bad First Impression**

The Sodor Haulage Firm have been running for many years now and all of the lorries had gained plenty of experience, but the Yard Manager felt that they needed extra help to cope with increased demand. He felt some of his firm were getting too old and needed a younger lorry to take the strain off them. He spoke to the controller of the time, the Stout Controller, who was the Fat Controller's Father and the pair agreed that new lorry would be joining the firm shortly. As the news spread, some members of the firm weren't particularly happy at all.  
"We don't need more help!" protested Logan.  
"We cope just fine..." added the heavily experience Margaret.  
"To add another lorry without our permission would just be rude!" stormed the still-youthful Madison.  
"I'm not working until this new arrival leaves!" spluttered Lawrence. The Yard Manager and the Stout Controller were surprised.  
"Oh dear..." they said. "What have we done?" But it was too late to stop the new arrival coming. They were on their way…

Within the week, the new lorry had arrived. She was very young, very grumpy, very rude, and very posh all in one go. She was to be driven by the Stout Controller's son, Bertram, but his inexperience showed greatly as he was still getting to grips with driving the firm's lorries.  
"Ooh..." he moaned as he struggled to get the lorry into gear.  
"Do you mind?" bellowed the lorry.  
"Sorry..." apologised Bertram as he continued to struggle with the gears. Soon enough though, he got the lorry to the yard. The lorry's wheels screeched as she came to a halt. Everyone else looked on a bit stunned. Bertram then got out of the driver's cabin and stood beside the Yard Manager and his father, the Stout Controller.  
"This!" bellowed the Stout Controller. "...is Elizabeth! As you can see, she is another Sentinal Lorry and I imagine that she will fit in just fine!"  
"Doubt it..." muttered Madison under her breath. Elizabeth just looked on at her surroundings. She then looked at everyone else and instantly looked disgusted.  
"You lot need a severe wash! The dirt will clog your pipes otherwise!" she said in her very posh voice. The lorries were furious.  
"How can she say that?" wondered Lawrence, but no sooner had she insulted the lorries before she insulted Bertram.  
"Come on chubby Bertram! Work! Now!" she said rudely. Bertram just ignored her and immediately got in the cabin and set off for the first job of the day. The Stout Controller and the Yard Manager both looked a little dubious over Elizabeth but remained open-minded for now. Elizabeth had definitely arrived...

The day had only just got underway and already Elizabeth was annoying the firm's other lorries.  
"Your paints a bit bland isn't it?" she said to Logan rudely as she observed his grey hue.  
"I could say worse about you..." muttered Logan to himself as Elizabeth sauntered away. Next she insulted Margaret not knowing of the respect that should be paid to her.  
"You really are very old aren't you!" she grinned. Margaret looked stunned. She'd never been insulted like this before and was filled with rage.  
"You need to learn some respect, dear!" she then yelled to Elizabeth.  
"I have learnt respect…" Elizabeth retorted as she scurried off. It wasn't long before she then had a pop at Lawrence. "What use is a loading lorry exactly?" she'd then asked rudely.  
"Huh, I'm more useful than you..." Lawrence replied huffily, but Madison was soon to be the most insulted of all the firm.  
"Oh..." surveyed Elizabeth as she rested on her break later that day. "You look like a cheap, double of me...how very unoriginal..." she'd then scowled. Madison was furious and her face went a bright red in anger. It went so red it complimented her paint scheme, the paint scheme she'd just been insulted on. She couldn't hold in her anger for much longer though.  
"Don't you dare say things like that!" she yelled, but Elizabeth just ignored her. Bertram couldn't even apologise on her behalf to the insulted lorries as Elizabeth was so impatient and wanted to leave to do her work as soon as she could.  
"Come on chubby Bertram!" she said indignantly. "Work! Now!" she then commanded as Bertram could only comply.  
"Whatever you say..." he replied and struggled as always with getting Elizabeth into gear.  
"Ooh!" complained Elizabeth. "You'll break my gearbox! If you do, you'll know about it!" and she carried on complaining for the rest of the day.

The following morning, Elizabeth woke up to the sight of the Yard Manager not looking very happy at all. He had an extremely stern looking face today and with his arms folded, Elizabeth dared not look him directly in the eyes as he looked a different man compared to when she'd arrived.  
"Insulting my lorries, are we?" he asked already knowing the answer.  
"Don't be so ridiculous!" snorted Elizabeth "...I wasn't insulting them! I was joking!" she then eventually continued. The Yard Manager however didn't believe her at all, and as punishment, sent her to work on the assigned oil barrel duty.  
"You should enjoy this..." he said jokingly to Elizabeth.  
"Ofcourse, Sir..." replied a clearly displeased Elizabeth. She knew that she wouldn't enjoy this duty in the slightest at all. Oil barrels were dirty and Elizabeth hated dirt and grime. It was just something she didn't associate herself with at all but through a pained expression, she let workmen load the barrels onto her hold. Soon, the barrels were loaded and Elizabeth and Bertram were ready to set off. What no-one had noticed though was that as they set off, one of the barrels had a slow leak developing on it. At first glance it wasn't noticeable at all but it would certainly be dangerous to carry on. But as no-one knew, the danger only came to the forefront until it was too late.

Elizabeth was traveling along bumpy roads and wasn't enjoying the journey at all. She was sure her pristine paint was being ruined.  
"Please let this finish…" she muttered indignantly to herself as she hit another bump along the way. As she hit the bump in the road though, oil to spew out of the slowly-leaking barrel. The more severe the bump in the road, the more oil leaked and soon enough oil spilled out to coat her rear left tyre. The effects were noticed instantly.  
"Ooh!" moaned Elizabeth. "Bertram! What are you doing?" she cried as started losing grip.  
"I'm not doing anything wrong!" he protested.  
"Well you are!" she retorted just as disaster struck. The oil had coated her rear left tyre so much that it couldn't turn at all and then it stopped all of a sudden. The sudden jolt shocked Elizabeth and Bertram as they lurched forward. All fell silent until the pair of them realised a loose oil barrel had flown into the air and was spewing oil everywhere. The oil came down in bucket loads and splatted the sticky substance all over Elizabeth.  
"Bertram! Bertram!" cried Elizabeth. "Stop this now!" she then wailed, but Bertram could only smile.  
"Silly lorry..." he muttered to himself as the oil tricked all over. From inside the cab it looked oddly beautiful to Bertram and he just sat inside until help came. When workmen arrived to clear the spilled oil, Lawrence arrived with them to load up Elizabeth and take her back to the yard. Elizabeth looked nothing like she had done only hours earlier and Lawrence just had to laugh.  
"Not useful, eh?" he joked to Elizabeth as she was loaded onto his rear hold. The winch held Elizabeth firmly in as she just felt an utter disgrace.  
"Lawrence, that was a misunderstanding…I assure you…" she pointed out as the journey back to the yard began. When she arrived back, the Yard Manager and the Stout Controller were waiting and both looked incredibly unimpressed.  
"You've got some explaining to do..." said the Stout Controller to Elizabeth.  
"I know..." she said feeling very embarrassed.

After Elizabeth had finished explaining herself some time later, the Yard Manager and the Stout Controller considered her future very quickly.  
"No-one will buy her..." muttered the Stout Controller.  
"She's not easy to control either..." said the Yard Manager. Elizabeth looked on eager to know what the decision was but the men went into the Yard Manager's office and then she was left on her own in disgrace as the firm carried on as if the day's events had never happened. Soon Elizabeth found out her fate as she was taken to a remote road with a nice, shiny new shed in the distance. She had wondered what was happening as Bertram wasn't driving her, it was his father.  
"Is that shed for me?" wondered Elizabeth.  
"Indeed..." smiled the Stout Controller. He hadn't explained properly to his son what Elizabeth was going to be doing from now on but he assured him she'd be doing something. He knew he was lying to his son but as he reversed Elizabeth into her new home, he knew it was for the best. No-one in the firm knew what was happening to her either, even the Yard Manager was unsure. He just assumed the Stout Controller had found a buyer, but this wasn't the case at all. As the Stout Controller got out of the cabin, Elizabeth had reverted back to her old ways.  
"There's no window!" she complained. "Only that tiny one at the very top. Where's my view?"  
"It's for the best, dear…" muttered the Stout Controller as he began to slowly pull the wooden doors to. Once they were closed, he sighed knowing that was the last he's see of her but he knew Elizabeth was going to suffer a terrible time. Anyone would like this. He knew it was a terrible thing to do but for the longevity of the firm and for his own patience, it was for the best. Soon he walked off to get a lift back to his office and as he departed the area, he put all of thoughts about Elizabeth to the back of his mind. He would never think of her again until the day he passed away. Bertram though didn't know this and at times during his help as a fireman across the Island before he took on controller duties, he thought about Elizabeth wondering what happened to her. As he learnt to be better with lorries and with cars, he would often pass a lonely shed thinking about how odd it was being located there. If only he'd have known that his first lorry was just there gathering dust…

As the years and months passed for Elizabeth, she remained in the shed unaware that she wasn't good enough to be sold. She didn't dare think that she would simply be forgotten about altogether, but couldn't help falling back into her old complaining ways every so often just to pass the time.  
"No window! No pictures! Nothing interesting!" she said one lonely evening. "Urgh, and there's a Spider on my nose! Shoo! Shoo I say!" she then wailed but no-one heard her and in time, Elizabeth gave up all hope in the end, but we know how her tale is eventually resumed, don't we?


	4. Madison Berries

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Madison Berries**

Autumn time on the Island of Sodor is enjoyed by many, but none more so than the Sodor Haulage Firm. Autumn time to them means Harvesting which then means work to Haulage goods to Market and to the Docks to be sold afar. Madison, the Maroon Sentinal Lorry of the Firm enjoys this time of year the most as it means she gets to see Mr. & Mrs. Kinallon once more. To Madison, the Kinallon's produce the biggest, the bluest and the best Blueberries on Sodor and every year so far, Madison has taken the Blueberries to Market. It is her favourite duty of all, and she takes good care of not only the Blueberries, but of the Kinallon's aswell. Without this duty, Madison would probably not want to be here at all, and the Yard Manager knows that.  
"Come on everyone!" he said joyfully one Autumnal morning. "The Harvesting Season has begun, so get ready to Haul!"

The whole of the Sodor Haulage Firm were all now assigned duties for the Harvesting period and once again Madison got the Blueberry duty.  
"Oh yes!" she beamed. "I'm obviously the best for this duty! She then boasted.  
"Hmmm..." wondered Logan. "Obviously only the best for little jobs then!"  
"Little?" retorted Madison. "It's just as important as any other duty!"  
"Ofcourse..." replied Logan sarcastically.  
"Cut it out you two!" then came the wise voice of Margaret. "I don't want to have to put up with another 'Arguemental Autumn'! Now get to work!"  
"Yes Margaret..." replied Madison and Logan who then went away to begin their duties. Meanwhile, Lawrence the Loading Lorry was waiting near the entrance of the yard when all of a sudden, a small van came through the entrance. It zoomed past Lawrence and soon came to a halt. Lawrence didn't know who it was and it wasn't long before he saw it zoom away again, but this time with the Yard Manager waving them off.  
"That's strange..." muttered Lawrence to himself. His driver soon arrived and then they were off to begin their first duty of the day – hauling sack-loads of Potatoes to the Harbour and then all around the Island. He knew he might struggle, but he was eager to work. As the day progressed, the rest of the Team were off doing their duties and being as useful as they could, all except Madison however as her mind was indefinitely fixed on the Kinallon's Blueberries.  
"Blue, blue, blue..." she muttered to herself as she reminisced about the Blueberries.  
"Concentrate Madison!" called her driver who was quickly losing patience with her today. "You're not taking Blueberries yet, you're taking Leeks! Concentrate please!"  
"Oh, if you insist..." replied Madison huffily and for the rest of the day, Madison was in a bad mood. The Kinallon's Blueberries were not ready yet and this was annoying Madison greatly. The fact she was being annoyed was annoying everyone else.  
"Can someone keep her quiet?" said an angry Logan to Margaret.  
"Sadly not..." came the reply. "So, let's just hope the Blueberries will be ready very soon..."

The next day everyone woke up to see the Yard Manager looking happy, but also concerned at the same time. They could tell an announcement was going to be made, but they weren't sure what it would be about.  
"Good morning everyone..." he began brightly. "It has already become apparent to myself and all your drivers that this years Harvest goods are already too much for us to cope with..."  
"Absolute nonsense!" called out Logan who was quickly hushed by Lawrence.  
"Anyway, because of this I have been in negotiations over the loan of another vehicle for this season. I have negotiated with many men, but I have finally reached an agreement with my Brother who owns a smaller Haulage Firm to lend a vehicle of his..." continued the Yard Manager with a big grin on his face.  
"A new arrival?" said a slightly concerned Margaret. Then, before the Yard Manager could continue, a jolly sounding horn beeped in the distance. As the beeping got louder, the Team were apprehensive over the new arrival, most notably Madison who felt she'd be no longer the centre of attention. As they looked on, the new arrival became clearer and then Lawrence saw who it was.  
"It's that Van!" he cried. "The one from Yesterday!" The other looked on shocked as the small van came to a halt. It was a pale green colour with a big beige stripe down both sides. A man soon got out of the driver's seat and announced himself to everyone.  
"Hello!" he said with an even bigger grin than the Yard Manager. "My name is Harry Worthington and your Yard Manager is my Brother Charlie! And because he needed help, I've brought along Holly – my trusty Van to assist you for the time being. I hope you all get along, so we'll leave you to get acquainted with each other." Harry soon left with Charlie while the Team now had to seemingly get along with Holly.  
"Hello..." beamed Holly.  
"Hello..." came the reply of everyone who wasn't as enthusiastic. The fact a new arrival had come to the Team was already awkward in itself, but for everyone, this was just going to be even more awkward. Holly looked very shy and this made everyone else wonder if she could cope, only time would tell...

That afternoon, the whole Team and Holly were underway with their duties and were enjoying themselves a lot. Madison was especially happy now as the telephone call had come from the Kinallon's to say the Blueberries were ready.  
"Oh goody!" smiled Madison who was seemingly to eager for her own good. She whizzed along the roads and soon overtook Logan.  
"Oi!" he called. "Precious goods onboard, be careful!" but Madison didn't care. Logan as expected was carrying the most of all the team. He was filled to the brim with Carrots, Cabbages, Broccoli and Pumpkins. It may have been heavy, but he loved the challenge and wanted to carry more. Elsewhere, Margaret was laden with the duty of Strawberry, Raspberry, Cherry, Banana and Apple duty all at once. Her little loader was struggling but her positive thoughts got her through the pain. Lawrence was still on Potato duty and was getting bored of it, but still didn't mind and for Holly the new arrival, she was assigned to take Grapes, both as they were and the pulp for Wine Making. The green of the Grapes matched her green paint greatly and she loved this a lot. She was just passing by the Kinallon's fields when her rear door opened a little and some pulp spilled out. No-one noticed and she carried on completely unaware. No more spilled out, so she was fine, but where it had spilled was right in the path of Madison who was nearing the Kinallon's fields. She was speeding a lot at good speed and could just make out the Kinallon's house in the distance.  
"It's Blueberry time!" she said with an extremely big smile, but neither her or her driver had seen the Grape pulp on the road, by the time time they did, it was too late...

"AAAHHHHHH!" cried Madison as she skidded greatly. Her driver fought for control but wasn't succeeding at all. The Blueberries the Kinallon's had left out were stacked in crates beside the main field of harvest and at the rate she was going, Madison was heading directly for them. Her wheels had no grip because of the pulp and all hope of stopping was gone as her brakes had seemingly jammed with the pulp. Her wheels spun some more as the crates of Blueberries were clearly in view, and then Madison skidded worse than ever before. This skid caused her to fall onto her side on directly onto the crates of Blueberries! Pulp and Mush spewed everywhere and the Kinallon's were horrified to see what had happened. Luckily no-one had been hurt in the accident but Madison felt awful as she destroyed a big batch of Blueberries all in one moment. Help soon arrived and Madison was soon loaded onto Lawrence who took her to the works.  
"A little eager, were we?" he joked as he took her along.  
"Just a little..." said Madison who still felt awful about the whole situation. By morning, Madison had been repaired and cleaned when Holly came into the works.  
"Madison..." she said shyly. "I am very sorry for what happened. We didn't know about the pulp, and we just feel bad for what's happened to you. I'm sorry, and so is my driver."  
"Apology accepted, it wasn't your fault." smiled Madison who was then very shocked to see the Kinallon's come into the works.  
"Madison!" they called. "You actually did us a favour with your accident!"  
"I did?" came the reply.  
"Yes..." said Mrs. Kinallon. "The squished Blueberries turned into a drink of some sort..."  
"So we decided to make it into a juice..." added Mr. Kinallon. "And everyone at the Market loved it! They want more!" Madison was shocked. Her cheeks went red and she felt all emotional inside.  
"We called it Madison Berry Juice..." said a delighted Mrs. Kinallon. "As without you Madison, this simply just wouldn't exist!"  
"Indeed..." agreed Madison cheekily.


	5. The Sodor Haulage Film Stars

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**The Sodor Haulage Film Stars**

It was lovely sunny morning for those of the Sodor Haulage Firm and for those who were awake; they could see a very strange sight before them. There was a man on his own with what looked like a lens used on film cameras. The man had very wispy grey hair and an equally grey moustache. He seemed very posh, but when he spoke to himself which he appeared to do a lot, he didn't sound posh at all.  
"Who is he?" whispered Madison to Margaret sleepily. Margaret didn't reply and just kept looking at the man suspiciously. Soon, the man came over to Madison and Margaret seemingly wanting to gain information from them.  
"Excuse me dears, but is there anyone official to speak to round here? A manager of some sort?" he asked quite grandly as his moustache twirled before Madison and Margaret's eyes. Neither of them needed to reply as the Yard Manager came out to see the man.  
"Can I help at all?" he asked.  
"Yes…" replied the man. "I'm Julian Groundsforth. You may recognise the name."  
"THE Julian Groundsforth?" said the Yard Manager who was visibly shocked. Margaret and Madison were getting more confused by the moment and things weren't helped when the strange man and the Yard Manager went away and into the Yard Manager's office. They didn't come back for some time…

When the pair of them came back from the office, everyone was now awake and were just as confused.  
"What do you think he's doing?" asked Logan.  
"He's probably the Yard Manager's boss…" suggested Lawrence.  
"I think it's more than that…" hoped Holly. She was still getting used to being a part of the Sodor Haulage Firm and was still clearly enjoying herself. The strange man soon passed everyone by and waved them off before leaving and this only added to the confusion. The Yard Manager then came to meet everyone to clarify matters.  
"Everyone, I bring you good news!" he smiled widely. "That man, Mr. Groundsforth is a famous Film Director. He was in Sodor because he is setting out locations for his latest film. He likes our yard very much and it is going to be used in the film!"  
"Really?" asked Madison.  
"You're joking surely?" quizzed Margaret sternly. The Yard Manager just smiled.  
"I'm not." he reassured. "But the news gets better. Cora Allcroft, the World Famous Actress is going to be in Mr. Groundsforth's film and therefore will be coming here, to our yard!" Everyone just fell silent in shock before a sudden burst of celebrations came from everyone.  
"She's my favourite Actress!" beamed Holly.  
"Mine too…" smiled the Yard Manager. "But we've still got work to do! So go on and get that done as we need to clear the way for the film crew!"

As the day went on, everyone couldn't hide their smiles from the fact that Cora Allcroft, an Actress who is incredibly famous would not only be coming to Sodor, but to their yard. Everyone was in disbelief. Logan, being the biggest of all was sent to the Docks to collect many items from the film crew who had come from the Mainland by boat.  
"Put as much as you can in!" laughed Logan. "I'm very strong!" he added before he set off with a full trailer of film equipment ranging from lighting to electrics and parts of the scenery to be added to help create the full effect at the yard. The film itself, which was titled _'The Metal Yard Mystery', _would see Ms. Allcroft's character trapped at the yard with many ghastly and ghoulish enemies hidden just out of sight. Everyone thought the film's plot sounded brilliant, and the Yard Manager seemed the most pleased as in his office he had many posters of Cora Allcroft in her various roles. All he now wanted was to meet her and get an autograph and then he'd feel on top of the world. Everyone was still in shock over the whole situation but when the early work was done, everyone returned to the yard to await the arrival of the big star herself…

Margaret, Madison, Logan, Lawrence and Holly were all lined up awaiting the arrival of Cora Allcroft to their yard and as the sun beamed even brighter. Everyone thought it must have been her star status that was bringing the good weather to Sodor. Even the Yard Manager was waiting outside with his haulage vehicles and was even dressed more formally because he wanted to impress Ms. Allcroft. Other vans and lorries were coming in and out of the yard to bring in the remaining film equipment before they left and then everywhere fell silent. She was on her way. No-one knew how she was getting to the yard, but everyone expected it to be very grand. Then, the beeping of a car's horn was heard just outside the yard and then everyone just looked on in awe as a very regal red car slowly came into the yard. It was an open-topped car and everyone just smiled as Cora Allcroft began to wave to everyone. The car then came to a halt and Cora then got out and began to wave at everyone once more. Everyone was just mesmerized at her with her wonderful short black hair and her red and black polka dot dress. She looked every inch the famous film star.  
"Hello everyone!" Cora then beamed. "You all look wonderful!" Logan and Lawrence just blushed at Cora's remark while Margaret and Madison just smiled. The Yard Manager was visibly nervous as Cora then came over to him to greet him and speak to him.  
"Lovely to meet you, Ms. Allcroft…" said the Yard Manager nervously.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you…" smiled Cora before heading off to her trailer. Then, Mr. Groundsforth, the director came into view and spoke to everyone.  
"Now Ms. Allcroft has arrived…" he began grandly. "I would urge everyone to be on their best behaviour as filming is about to begin!"

The film set was now ready and the film crew was just as ready. Cora Allcroft was ready and waiting for the scene to begin and the vehicles just looked on in pure amazement. They were in the film as background characters that would every so often make spooky sounds to add to the mystery of the metal yard. Mr. Groundsforth then called action and the filming got under way. Margaret, Madison, Logan, Lawrence and Holly just fell silent as Cora gave an astonishing performance that seemingly didn't take any effort at all.  
"Who goes there?" cried Cora in character. "Is it you? The missing men of the metal yard?"  
"Yes…" came Logan spookily as the director pointed at him to cue his line.  
"It most certainly is…" grimaced Margaret as she put on a deep voice.  
"What are you going to do to me?" asked Cora as she seemed noticeably pleased with the others performances so far.  
"We will make you pay…" howled Lawrence.  
"We will take you away…" continued Madison with a loud echo.  
"And keep you away from those you love and cherish!" concluded Holly. She still couldn't believe she was 'acting' alongside Cora Allcroft. The feeling was just odd and then the director called 'Cut!' Everyone relaxed and sighed with relief.  
"That was good everyone!" smiled Cora brightly as a helper brought her a cup of tea.

Later on as night was drawing in, the days shoot was coming to an end and there was only one more scene to do. Cora was eager to get it done as she was getting tired after a hard day's work. The film crew was setting up the scenery and the lorries were all just moving into their new positions for the scene. Logan's driver was reversing him into place and was being extra careful because scenery and lighting were not that far behind him. The yard sloped somewhat in certain places and where Logan was parked was one of these places, but as Logan's driver got out of the cab he realised he hadn't put the handbrake on and Logan began to carry on going backwards.  
"Oh no!" cried Logan's driver as he tried to climb back into Logan's cabin but he wasn't quick enough. Everyone else just looked on in horror as Logan carried on reversing and then collided with part of the set and some lighting equipment. The collision sparked a power cut all around the yard and plunged everyone into darkness.  
"Well this is useful…" said Margaret sarcastically.  
"Is everyone alright?" called out the Yard Manager. Everyone replied with a simple yes and hoped the power would come back on soon. Cora was stuck in the middle of the yard with no clue of who or what was around her. It was slightly getting the better of her.  
"Julian!" she cried. "How long until the lights are back on?"  
"Not long…" he replied. "Our men are onto the job as we speak!" Cora sighed with relief. She was ok with filming at night as she wasn't being herself, but as herself, Cora didn't like the darkness of night at all. The work to fix the lighting took a while as Logan was tangled in the cables.  
"Sorry…" he apologised.  
"No, I'm sorry…" said his driver. "It was my fault…" he added as he helped out with untangling Logan. Soon the lights were fixed and the filming wrapped for the night.

It was just over another week before filming was fully completed and when the day came, Cora and the film crew seemed sad that they were leaving. The yard had become a home from home for the last few days and everyone had welcomed them so much into the community of the yard.  
"It's been a real pleasure…" smiled Cora as she shook hands with the Yard Manager.  
"The pleasure was having you here Ms. Allcroft." replied the Yard Manager. "You are my favourite Actress, you know."  
"Really?" asked Cora. "Well I suppose this calls for only one thing then…" she added as she kissed the Yard Manager on the cheek. He felt embarrassed and blushed a bright red. Cora then handed him a photograph of herself with her signature. The Yard Manager was beyond pleased and just smiled even wider as Cora got into the same regal red car that she arrived in to leave.  
"Goodbye everyone!" she said as she got in the car.  
"Goodbye!" everyone replied brightly as Cora had brought some glamour to the usually plain and ordinary yard. As she departed, the lorries of the Sodor Haulage Firm all tooted their horns loudly as she waved goodbye, leaving Sodor for her home on the Mainland.

A few days later, post arrived at the yard and the Yard Manager was surprised to see the package that arrived was that of a film reel. It was from the director, Mr. Groundsforth. There was a note attached with it saying that this was a copy of the film and that he was honoured of everyone involved at the yard. That night, the Yard Manager let everyone see the film on the projector he'd borrowed from his Brother and everyone smiled at the fact they were most definitely film stars, although not very good ones at that!


	6. Scouting for Lawrence

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**Scouting for Lawrence**

Early one morning at the firm's yard, Holly was in a very inquisitive mood. She'd been at the firm for some time now but knew nothing of how everyone else's first day went. She could see Margaret was still asleep, Logan was being briefed on his duty for the day and Madison was nowhere to be seen. Only Lawrence was around and he had just stirred from his sleep.  
"Lawrence…" Holly then said sheepishly. "What was your first day like at the firm?" Lawrence still wasn't properly awake yet and yawned very loudly. It was that loud he stirred Margaret.  
"Typical…" she muttered. "Just as I'm at the best point of my dream, I'm disturbed."  
"Sorry…" said Lawrence. "What did you want anyway Holly?" he then asked sleepily.  
"What was your first day like here? I'm just curious!" she beamed. Lawrence perked up and smiled widely.  
"It was great…" he said. "Brilliant if I'm honest!"  
"Confusing would be more appropriate…" sniggered Margaret.  
"Why's that?" Holly asked.  
"Well…" said Margaret. "…we'll fill you in…" she added as Lawrence looked on warily.

Lawrence was the new member of the firm and after the initial greetings between him and the other members; the yard manager came to speak to him.  
"Lawrence…" he said. "Just so that we can immediately see how well you can do, I've arranged your first duty. The Sodor Scouts are getting a new area with a new main hut being built. You're to take equipment to the new site."  
"Sounds like fun…" beamed Lawrence. The yard manager smiled. He handed his driver a map with directions to the new area but the driver insisted he didn't need it as he knew the way. He took them anyway just out of courtesy. Soon, Lawrence was revved up and was off on his first job.  
"Do you know the way?" Lawrence asked to his driver as they exited the yard.  
"Sort of." came the reply. "It shouldn't be that hard to find a scouting area." Lawrence agreed and they carried on taking in their new surroundings. The roads were surrounded by the woods and Lawrence and his driver just assumed the area was near here, but it wasn't. The woods were just full of trees and wildlife but there were no signs of a scout area, new or old anywhere. Suddenly, by chance Lawrence and his driver came across the old scout area and there taking old equipment into scout van was the Scoutmaster.  
"We can't stop now…" said Lawrence's driver. "It won't look good at all" he added as they zoomed by. The Scoutmaster though had seen Lawrence and was very puzzled. He tried to call them over but Lawrence seemed to speed up.  
"Isn't that the lorry that's meant to be helping us?" called one of scouts to the Scoutmaster.  
"Yes." he replied. "I think we need to help him. He is new after all." he added as he got inside the scout van. "Come on boys!" the Scoutmaster then cried. "Let's go chase that lorry!" he smiled as the scouts clambered aboard and soon they were off after Lawrence.

"We really don't know where were going do we?" suspected Lawrence as the roads seemingly carried on and on without any indication of the new scout area in sight. His driver wasn't one to admit the error and ploughed on regardless. Meanwhile, the scout van was struggling far, far behind. Its engine was old and spluttered and coughed loudly.  
"Must not go so fast…" muttered the Scoutmaster to himself as the engine whirred louder and louder with each crunching gear change. The scouts in the van were worried too but they wanted to help Lawrence as they needed the equipment for their new area very soon. The van though wasn't up for a chase and soon after much more spluttering, it gave in altogether. The scouts, their Scoutmaster and the van were now stranded far, far away from their old base and their new one. Suddenly, everywhere fell silent. Smoke just emanated from the scout van and everyone just looked on wondering what they could do as they were seemingly stranded with no help at all.

Lawrence and his driver meanwhile had somehow by chance found the new scout area and dropped all the equipment off but were concerned when after a short wait the scouts didn't turn up.  
"Where are they?" asked Lawrence.  
"Probably still packing up old equipment…" answered his driver as they soon set off back to the yard. The issue being they weren't sure which way it was. They roughly knew but weren't fully sure but like earlier on, ploughed on regardless. Back at the breakdown with the scout van, the Scoutmaster was just making all the boys a cup of hot cocoa to help distract them from the fact they were stuck in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, a horn beeped in the distance and there appeared the firm's yard manager in his van.  
"What are you doing here?" he asked as he pulled over.  
"We've broken down." replied the Scoutmaster. "We were trying to chase your new lorry. I don't think they knew where they were going."  
"But they told me they did!" the yard manager said surprised. The Scoutmaster just smiled as in that moment, Lawrence came speeding by them all. He looked embarrassed but didn't acknowledge anyone. "We'll have a word when I return to the yard!" cried out the yard manager as Lawrence carried off into the distance. Soon, the yard manager offered to tow the Scoutmaster and the scouts to their new area before he returned to the yard.

When he got back, Lawrence still felt quite embarrassed.  
"If you don't know where you're going, just admit it!" said the yard manager as he slammed his lorry door.  
"I'm sorry sir…" replied Lawrence.  
"We just wanted to impress…" added his driver.  
"Well, all I can say is that you did the job fine, once you found the location that is. I am very pleased with you Lawrence, but do just ask for help if you need it." smiled the yard manager.  
"I'll make sure of it, sir." Lawrence smiled.  
"Good." said the yard manager. "Best get used to all this work now. Welcome to the firm, Lawrence!"  
"I will do my best, sir. Every single time I go out on a job for you!" Lawrence said proudly as he reversed into his shed for his first night as a firm member.

"So, apart from the complete confusion and misunderstanding, it was a fairly normal first day?" chuckled Holly as the story came to an end.  
"It wasn't _that_ confusing…" said Lawrence.  
"But you got lost" cut in Margaret. "Surely some confusion happened along the line?"  
"Oh, alright, yes there was some confusion!" Lawrence finally admitted. "But since my first day issues have been told, you need to tell yours Margaret."  
"Oh, there's no need for that!" Margaret said with a grimace.  
"Why ever not?" Holly asked. Margaret never replied as she knew her first day at the firm was far more embarrassing. But what happened exactly? It seems we'll never know as Margaret won't say another word on it…


	7. The Ghost of Farren Fields

Lee's Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends

Stories

**The Ghost of Farren Fields**

It was a foggy evening as Lawrence was the last of the firm to arrive back at the yard. As he pulled in, he could see everyone just smiling and chatting after a long day of hard work.  
"I'm glad it's over…" smiled Lawrence as he pulled up beside everyone else. "That fog is awful…"  
"It was terrible near the docks…" remarked Madison. "I couldn't see for ages."  
"It's really quite spooky…" chipped in Holly warily.  
"Spooky?" wondered Logan as he thought of an idea. "Margaret, since its spooky looking out, isn't it a good time for one of your tales per chance?"  
"Spooky tales?" asked Holly. She was still getting used to be at firm somewhat and in all her time there so far she hadn't heard any spooky stories as of yet.  
"Oh, they're something I've become good at…" smiled Margaret proudly.  
"Please tell one…" said Madison eagerly.  
"Oh, if I must…" gave in Margaret after much persuasion from everyone but Holly. "This then is the story of the Ghost of Farren Fields…"

"Many, many years ago…" began Margaret. "…before the firm officially set up, the owner had two other lorries before I arrived as a bright young newbie."  
"Hang on!" interrupted Logan. "I thought you were the first of the firm?"  
"One of the first…" corrected Margaret. "Now, as I was saying these two lorries were the first. They were brothers and their names were Bruce and Edwin. Bruce was painted sky blue and was brash, arrogant and cocky - even more so than our dear Logan. Edwin was the complete opposite really. He was painted green and just did his work quietly and caused no problems. Then, money problems came – a recurring pattern at this Crest Mountain site, and sadly Edwin had to be sold on. It was sad really. I'd only known him for such a short time before his departure but it clearly affected Bruce a lot. His earlier brashness left for the majority of the time and he would spend as much time away from the firm as he could."  
"When's this going to get spooky?" Madison then huffed impatiently.  
"All in good time…" Margaret said as the others looked on eagerly.  
"How come you've never mentioned those two lorries before?" Lawrence then asked. "It's the kind of thing you'd mention."  
"Edwin's departure was sad enough as it was and what happened to Bruce so soon after made me keep it silent for all this time." Margaret said simply.  
"Is this where it gets spooky then?" Logan asked with a wide smile.  
"Yes..." smiled Margaret as she continued her tale. "Fog was all around on this night and Bruce had to take some limestone we'd had delivered to some workers far out near Farren Fields. Fog always reigns in over there and coupled with the rain that night, it just wasn't pleasant to be around. I warned Bruce to be careful but he wasn't having any of it."  
"Ah, it's only a bit of fog, Margi…what harm can it do? I'm hardly going to be eaten by a monster am I?" he said in his jovial manner before he set off. Farren Fields has always has a spooky feel about it even during the day so this night made it extremely spooky by all accounts. I knew Bruce was worried and I knew I was worried for him as the rain just got heavier and heavier. In moments like those, just having Edwin's calm attitude would have been wonderful but he wasn't there. I was just on my own worrying for him. I knew the fog was getting heavier near Farren Fields and just as I went off to sleep that night I heard a terrible smash in the distance.  
"W…w…w...what was it?" asked Holly very nervously. The others around her were equally just as unsure and weren't keen on letting the story continuing now. It didn't sound like it was going to end good at all.  
"I was woken up some time later after initially dismissing the terrible noise. I was informed Bruce had crashed. His wheels had lost grip on a wet bit of road and as they slipped he veered suddenly and zoomed off the road by Farren Fields. The fog had meant he couldn't see when to stop properly and as he zoomed off the road, he began to tip over and that's when he smashed ever so loudly against the green banks. His driver survived but Bruce had no chance whatsoever…" Margaret then told them through a pained expression. Clearly this tale was still so raw to her even though it was in years gone by. Bruce had been someone so dear to her. Edwin had been nice company, but Margaret always loved being around Bruce. He'd gone now and it was clear to see to the others in the firm that she was still struggling to come to terms with it. At this point everyone then fell silent just to think about how lucky they were…

Within the hour, the yard manager came rushing out of his office in a hurry. He'd just had a late night call from a customer who needed a load a slate delivering to them immediately.  
"Someone needs to go now…" he said. "They can have the morning off tomorrow as a treat." Everyone seemingly perked up at this but Margaret seemed most keen of all.  
"Does the job involve going near Farren Fields?" she asked plainly. The others fell silent as the yard manager nodded. Margaret smiled. "I'll take the job then…" she grinned as men loaded her up. Soon she was off and was glad to be getting away from the yard for the time being. "However much I love being around the others, I just needed the time to myself…" she confided to her driver.  
"Time to gather your thoughts?" he asked.  
"In a way…" she said. Back at the yard the others were concerned for Margaret but all they could do was think of poor Bruce. Margaret obviously still couldn't cope without him really and it made the others wonder how they'd cope without her.  
"We need Margaret…" said Logan. "Even if we do spar more than just occasionally, we do need her."  
"She keeps us in order…" added Madison. "Without her, we'd run amok!"  
"Let's make sure then that when she returns she is most welcome and can always rely on us for support. She can think of Edwin and Bruce, but we are the here and now…" smiled Logan.

It wasn't long before Margaret had delivered what was needed and on the way back, she told her driver to pull up by the green banks beside Farren Fields.  
"I just need to talk…" said Margaret simply.  
"Right…" replied the driver. "What about?"  
"Not with you…" smiled Margaret. "With Bruce. This is apparently where they found him and every time I've come past here since his terrible accident, I've always felt as if he was here, watching." she then explained. Her driver knew the importance of Bruce to Margaret so he got a newspaper out to hand and read it while Margaret began to her talk. "Are you here?" she asked optimistically. There was no reply. "Are you here?" she asked again. Once more, there was no reply but Margaret kept trying until eventually she heard a voice.  
"Hello…" it said.  
"Bruce?" asked Margaret "Is that you?"  
"Of course it's me!" laughed the voice. "Margi, who else would it be?" the voice added from no particular direction. Margaret was pleased she could hear Bruce but in reality there was no voice at all, it was just in her mind. Her driver knew that but didn't want to interrupt her. It was nice to see her smiling so interrupting Margaret was not an option in the slightest.  
"How are things?" Margaret then enquired.  
"Not exactly….busy…" came Bruce's reply. "I'm not exactly able to do anything am I?" Margaret just grinned.  
"Of course not!" she realised. "Silly me!"  
"How are things at the yard?" Bruce then asked.  
"Fine, were all doing fine. I've got three, no hang on, four lorries to work with. One's pretty much like you but he's good at his job." she smiled.  
"Oi!" called back Bruce. "I resent that comment! I did do work! Not the most, but not the least either! You were the yard's workhorse by far. You need to take it easy my dear, age creeps up with us all. Me and Edwin would have been antiques if we were still going to this day, you're approaching that mark."  
"Oh lovely…comments on my age!" Margaret smiled. "Just what I need!"  
"Do think about it though," Bruce then said in a more serious tone. "You need to slow down a little. Lorries of our age aren't as good as the new ones. They can take the brunt of it all. I'm sure the others working with you would gladly help out. Please think about it, we can chat more often if you take life a little slower." he added. Margaret liked the idea of talking with Bruce even more but knew she couldn't stop working as much as she did as she loved her job. It was what made her the lorry she was. Deep down she knew she was talking at nothing and it made her think.  
"Bruce is gone," she thought. "Think of the present and don't dwell on the past. Edwin's been long gone and I've managed, so I can without Bruce." she continued. Her driver could tell something was up and noticed a change in her mood quite instantly.  
"Margaret, what is it? What's wrong?" he asked as he dropped his newspaper to the passenger seat.  
"I think we need to leave…" Margaret replied.  
"Why?"  
"Why not? I've got work to do, haven't I? I can't just hang around here talking to what may or may not be Bruce." Margaret said. "I'm not getting any younger."  
"You're still very useful…" pointed out her driver.  
"Exactly…I still am…" she smiled. "We need to leave then.  
"But what about Bruce? Shouldn't you say goodbye?"  
"I suppose," realised Margaret as everything was just clouding around in her head. Thoughts of the past and laughs of the present, all there and everywhere. She had to pick one or the other and she knew which she was picking. "Bruce, I know we've only just started talking again but I have to move on." she said. Deep down she knew she was talking to nothing and it was helping her decision. "You and Edwin are in my past, I'm still working for the firm and I have to do my job."  
"Then why come back?" Bruce's voice called out. Margaret paused and carefully thought of a response.  
"…to get closure." she eventually said. "I'll see you around some time I am sure of that Bruce, but they need me back at the yard. I am still useful and I'm not too old."  
"Whatever's best for you…" Bruce sighed. "It would have been nice to speak more, but I understand. Goodbye…" he added.  
"Goodbye….friend…" Margaret then said with some emotion tinged in her voice. Her driver took it as the time to move on and within minutes they were off back to the yard.

It was the early hours when Margaret pulled into her place at the yard but everyone was still awake. They were just smiling at her.  
"Everything alright?" asked Logan kindly. Margaret nodded yes. "Good…" said Logan. "If you're good, then we all are." he added.  
"You guide us along…" smiled Madison. "Without you, I'd have still be a bit aggressive at times and I definitely wouldn't listen to others."  
"How sweet," remarked Margaret. "Any reason why you're saying all this?"  
"We just wanted to make it clear to you Margaret how much we value you." said Lawrence. "From those who have known you for a long time…"  
"And those for only a short time," added Holly. "It's clear you still miss Bruce and Edwin, but were here for you now to fill in those gaps." Margaret just smiled widely. She really felt valued and was feeling good about her decision to move on. Of course she still thinks about Bruce and Edwin from time to time but the thoughts aren't as raw as they used to be. Whenever she passes Farren Fields she looks at the green banks as just see them as green banks. Her memories of Bruce and those earlier ones of Edwin are firmly in her mind, but for the time being, Margaret is living in the present and is enjoying everything about it. Logan, Madison, Lawrence and Holly are proud to know and work with her and Margaret is proud to know them.


End file.
